THE CARO CENTER

By: Representative Edward J. Canfield, D.O.

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05/2272017~

Murray Hall

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.­OS/ 22/ 2017

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Fast Facts: • 1914: Originally established in

Wahjam~a, southwest of Caro, as a Farm Colony for Epileptics

• Over the years, new treatments for epilepsy reduced the need for an epileptIC facility and the institution was reassigned as a psychiatric hospital.

• Number of Employees: 349 full-time

• Num~r of Residents: 150 patient capacity

• How long has it been in operation?103 years

• How many buildings are currently In use? 8-10 buildings out of 47

• The Carc Center is the second largest employer in rural Tuscola County

What We Know:

• This year, Governor Snyder has recommended a capital outlay- of $115 million for the replacement of the Caro Center .

• It is vital that as the state contemplates the buildi~g of a 200 ~ed psychiatri~ hospital, a once-In-a-generatlon opportunrty, we must evaluate air factors related to the structure, it's location, and how it may impact the citizens of the state of Michigan.

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OS/22/2017 '

Why Consider Moving the Carc Center? • Transportation of patients to the Caro Center is a long process and

the center is not centrally located or specifically on the 1-75 corridor.

• Families of patients have to travel a great distance to see their family members at the Caro Center.

• The staff of the Caro Center do not live near Caro.

• When patients require medical treatment, they must be transported 30 miles to the nearest accredited facility for treatment.

• The Caro Center is completely used up and has no further value. It would be less costly to just start over on a new site.

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I contend that all of these assumptions are actually

misguided.

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Considerations #1 & 2: Transportation issues.

• The Caro Center's district is exceedingly large, including 44 counties, the entire Upper Peninsula, and as far south as Macomb County.

• Transportation is going to be a factor for both law enforcement and families no matter where the new

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--------­--~----.­--psychiatric hospital is built.

Considerations #1 & 2: Transportation issues

Where are the patients actually coming from?

• 123/149 patients, or 82%, are from a county that touches Tuscola County or south and east of the Caro Center.

• Moving the psychiatric hospital to a more central location would actually increase travel for the vast majority of families and law enforcement as well.

Patients' home counties by #

Caro Center 2017

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OS/ 22/2017 '

Considerations #1 &2: Transportation issues.

Where are the patients actually coming from?

• Last month, 177patients were awaiting aamisslon to a psychiatric hospital. In the state Of"Michl»an. when a bed o~ns up, that s the facility the patientis sent to regardless of ttiat facility's serVice region.

• At present. while the caro Center serves the highestnumber of UP patients byfacilit>' (8), 53% of UP patientsare being served at facilities other than the Caro Center (9).

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41.06% J.'Ut% 11.65%

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Consideration #3 ­The staff does not live near the Caro (16IIbIi'_~ to the deP'lrtmen~ of the

~fi':~~iQ,9a~~'Ty~ within the Caro zip code.

• ~review of the graPh~Uld Indicatet at up to 70% 6f ...., working at t Caro C""ter adual lve withl" 30 miles of the center.

• Moving the hlo0spitalltP a mo",centrillrl::st n wou d not onlydi$Dlace t vast maiority of tfleskined emp _s who work tt the Caro Center. Dut would actua!1Y sJanificantlj increase their drive time.

• The ma~ al", give , clue to the econo~. <IevI_'on that ~uld occur moving the faclloty awayfrom t e Thumb.

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Consideration #4 - When patients require medical treatment, they must be transported 30 miles to the nearest accredited facility • The Caro Center has not used Caro Community HO$pital because of what

we beli~ 15 the mistaken understanding thaeth~ I'jospital must be accredited by the Joint CommilSion. We l1ave challenged this assumptionand have not received any confinnation that it is true.

• Inte~stingl~ the hospital that the Caro Center doe. use. Covenant Heafthcart. IS not accrec::tited by the Joint Commission.

• Caro Community Hospital IS licensed and accredited by the State of Michigan and eMS, Which should be sufficient to see any patient from the Caro Center.

• Caro Community Hospital is less than 4 mile~ from the C;aro ~enter and can manage the vast majority of health issues related to their patients.

• A lett,r writt~n to m, (dated March 8. 2017), Mr. Mark Augsburger. Presldert and CEO of earo Community HOSf,ltal, eXp'lalned""that the hospita is_qreat~ interested and prepared 0 proviCle service to the patfents oOhe Caro Center.

Consideration #5 - The Caro Center is completely used up and it would be less costly to start from scratch.

• The footpri nt of the Caro Center offers the state numerous benefits to utilize the existi n9 land and infrastructure

• Existing infrastructure: " 650 acres ofland " Water tower " 5 water wells " Power house " New on-site generator " Lift station- Managed by

Caro " Administration building

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OS/ 22/2017 •

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Other Considerations: • When Camp Tuscola closed in 2013, 60 state of Michigan jobs

vanished from the area. We are left with a vacant unusable outdated facility

• If the Caro Center moves and we lose all 349 full·time positions, it would further devastate our community, schools, and economy.

• If the state takes this facility out of our district. we are left with the wreckage of a 100 year old facility and a devastated economy.

• When will the Thumb of Michigan ever be able to receive a jewel from the state?

• Politicians may want the state to build a psychiatric hospital in their community, but you may find that convincing the residents to have a psychiatric hospital in their backyard to be harder sale. Caro and the Thumb wants the hospital.

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Final Thoughts: • When we truly evaluate the people served at the Caro

Center, where their families come from, where the skilled employees and their families live, the infrastructure available and cost that we can save the state by building the new psychiatric hospital at the current site, all indicate that the best choice for the state and taxpayers, is to leave the Caro Center in Caro.

• Caro and the Caro Center has been committed to the treatment and service of the patients of the state of Michigan for more than 100 years and they are prepared to continue that service for the next 100 years as well.

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